At Your Most Beautiful
by LadyBoston
Summary: Pre-RENT. Roger and April sleep together and admit their love for one another. That's it, really.
1. Just Playing

April shifted so that her legs were folded beneath her, and moved to rest her head in one hand as she flipped through the pages of Mark's screenplay restlessly. She felt the weight of a familiar body sink into the couch cushions beside her, and assumed it was the filmmaker. "I'm really liking the part when Marguerite reminds Christian that he promised to wait for her, and Christian tells her that he couldn't wait forever." she commented softly, not taking her eyes off of the manuscript. "Mark hasn't let me read that one yet." Roger answered, laughing at the simple mistake. April's cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, and she looked up, chewing on her bottom lip. "Oops.." she finally managed. "Sorry. I didn't know you'd come home yet." Roger raised an eyebrow, then wrinkled his nose. "That's okay. It's not like you ever notice me, anyway." he teased, sounding mock-hurt. "Oh, don't be so miserable!" April cried, reaching over to swat at Roger's shoulder playfully. He caught her wrist in his large hand, then brought it up to his mouth, kissing it gently. April was caught off-guard, but she didn't recoil, only gasped a little in surprise. Roger only thought of her as a friend! So, surely he was only doing this to get a reaction from her. Well, she wouldn't give him one, not if he had decided to tease her.   
  
Turning away from him, she glanced back down at Mark's latest work, trying to focus her attention on the words. They blurred on the page, and she closed her eyes, swallowing hard as Roger trailed kisses up her bare arm. Using one arm to prop himself up, he then allowed his free arm to circle April's waist, as his mouth worked it's way across her shoulder. "W- what are you doing?" April whispered, eyes fluttering open in confusion. "Just seeing how far I can go.." Roger answered breathlessly, then returned his attention to her flawless skin. April moaned sadly, knowing that his answer was all too literal, but she tilted her head to allow him better access to her neck. Then, in a moment of weakness, she turned and caught his mouth in hers. Two could play at this game, April decided. Roger was startled, but he caught on quickly, cupping her face in both of his hands and attempting to deepen the kiss. When April felt Roger's tongue begging entrance into her mouth, she pulled away, then got up from the couch. Roger looked at her with his best pout, still unsure as to why she'd denied him what he most wanted.   
  
"Roger," April scolded, one hand resting on her hip. "The only reason you're doing this is because you're lonely. It's not me, it's you. It's always you, always what you want. And, you know, it's unfair! It's unfair, and I'm.. why are you looking at me like that?" Roger licked his lips, before reaching out to snag April around the waist. She fell into his lap, and he growled, nipping at her bottom lip before declaring "God, you're yummy." April scoffed loudly, breaking free of Roger's arms and stepping away from him. "Stop it." she grumbled, but did not protest when he stood and moved towards her. There was another demand to "Stop it!," harder and angrier than the first, when Roger's hands fluttered down to rest on her hips. The last "Stop.." was a plea, desperate, because April knew that once Roger kissed her again, nothing else would matter, not for the rest of the night. 


	2. Everybody Here Wants You

As if he could read her mind, the man planted a firm kiss on her mouth, his hands moving down to rest on her lower back, fingers like butterflies, slipping inside the waistband of April's faded jeans. She groaned, hands sliding up under his shirt to dance along the unfamiliar skin of his chest. Roger's hands moved expertly to the front of April's pants, toying with them for a moment. April sighed, biting Roger's shoulder urgently as his lips brushed across her temple. Once he'd gotten her pants off, he lifted her by her slender waist, pulling her towards him. Expertly, her legs wrapped around his torso, and she tugged his shirt off. Her arms then moved around his neck so that she could hold him close, feel his breath on her almost-bare skin. He carried her into his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.   
  
She climbed into his bed, crawling between the fresh sheets as he swaggered towards her. She came to a kneel on the edge of his mattress and, reaching out, took hold of his belt loops, pulling him towards her. He laughed softly, one hand moving to tangle in her hair, pulling her head back with just a little more force than necessary. A strangled cry of surprise escaped April, and she quickly moved to undo Roger's belt. He became aware of her hands travelling across the outside of his legs, painfully slow as she removed his pants. Climbing into bed with her, he flashed a toothy grin. "Turn the light off," she begged, and he was more than willing to allow her the small favour. 


	3. Morning After

April's eyelashes stuck together as she blinked her eyes open. Sitting up, she was a little frightened at her surroundings, but when her eyes adjusted, the uncomfortable knot in her stomach dissipated as quickly as it had formed. Finding her boy-cut underwear and one of Roger's oversized t-shirts, April dressed quickly, then pulled the blankets up around Roger's bare shoulders. She gravitated towards his window, opening it a crack before stealing one of his cigarettes. It wasn't at all a habit for her, but she felt that she definitely deserved a smoke after the night she and Roger had shared.   
  
Roger yawned, one arm moving to cover his eyes as he shifted beneath the heavy blankets. A smile crept onto his face as the memories of April flooded his mind. He remembered the love, the passion she rarely showed, all of it for him. He remembered their rise and fall, bodies collapsing in ecstasy, limbs tangled as the lovers drifted off to sleep. He could still taste her, the sweet smell of her sweat in his bed making him feel heady. "April.." he moaned softly, his free arm moving across the bed to touch her. When he realized that she wasn't there, he lifted his head. Had she already left him? The thought made him feel almost sick. "April!" he called, a little more frantically. "I'm right here," she told him gently, finishing her cigarette and closing the window before standing and walking back towards the bed. Perching on the edge of it, she smiled down at Roger. He sat up, moving to wrap his arms around April's shoulders protectively. 


	4. Liar, Liar

"Hey, baby.." he whispered. April lowered her gaze, tracing small circles on her thigh, as Roger pushed her hair forward, over her shoulder. "Baby?" she repeated innocently. "Can't I call you that?" Roger asked, his lips brushing against the back of April's neck in a slow, sweet kiss. She tilted her head forward, hiding her frown. "Why would you want to?" Roger sighed, pressing his face against April's back. She could feel his breath, warm through the shirt, and she closed her eyes, waiting for his answer. "April, when I said I loved you, last night.. I didn't just say it because we were.. I mean, I said it because I meant it." April rolled her eyes, muscles rippling beneath her skin as she twisted around in Roger's arms. "Yeah, right." she said, glancing down at him. "April, I'm not lying!" Roger insisted. "If I didn't love you, I would have left while you were asleep." April climbed over Roger, ducking under his comforter as she stared at him. "Roger, you ass, you know you wouldn't leave. This is your bedroom." she reminded him blankly.   
  
Roger's lips parted in a slight smile, and he moved to lie next to April, slipping an arm around her. "Well, how about you?" he demanded. "How about me what?" April snapped, slightly irritated. "Why did you stay all night?" Roger asked. The pretty girl bit her bottom lip, turning onto her side so that her back was facing Roger. His rough hands moved along her arms comfortingly, and he sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just.. don't understand why you won't believe me. I really, really like you." he tried to explain, his voice going soft. April rolled over onto her back, inhaling sharply before speaking. "I just get the feeling that you say this to every girl you sleep with. I mean, why me? Why now? It feels like you just want to make up for using me." When the last two words slipped from her mouth, unchecked, Roger drew back as if he had been slapped. "Using you?" he asked breathlessly. "You think I'm using you?" April sighed again, realizing that her language had hurt him. "I should go.." she whispered, slipping from the bed fluidly.   
  
She moved around Roger's bedroom, gathering her things. When she reached the door, she turned to look at him. He was now standing in the middle of his own room, pants pulled up around his waist, watching her. "If I didn't love you," he called, "would I make you breakfast?" April folded her arms across her chest. "Rog.. you didn't make me breakfast." Roger stepped forward, holding his arms out invitingly. "But I could!" he told her. April laughed, moving into Roger's arms forgivingly. "Remember last time you made food? Mark got food poisoning, and not even Henry would eat the leftovers." Roger kissed April's forehead, smiling. "But Henry's a cat. See, if we had a dog.." April lifted a hand to cover Roger's mouth, shaking her head. "We're not getting a dog!" she cried. Trying to change the subject, she tugged on his hand. "Come on, boy, we'll get breakfast at the Life." Roger stuck his tongue out stubbornly, before leaning down to kiss April's mouth. "No. Not yet." he decided. 


	5. Somebody To Love

April, stubborn as she was, wanted to protest. She wanted to pull away, wanted to refuse Roger's advances, but as his pale fingers toyed with her clothing, and his mouth made goose-bumps rise on her flesh, she found that she could not decline this offer. Her knees went weak, and she made a guttural noise, half-moan and half-whimper, almost encouragingly. Lifting her onto the bed, Roger's eyes flashed, and he crawled over her, reaching past her to find the box he'd left on his desk last night. "No. Not yet." April mimicked in a whisper, drawing Roger's arm back to her chest. "What?" he asked, voice heavy with want. "Not yet." April repeated. "Kiss me a little longer.." Roger nodded, pinning April's body beneath his. He settled down, a comfortable weight against her chest, and as his long fingers toyed with her hair, he obeyed her request. April's eyes fluttered open, then narrowed. The way he kissed her.. it wasn't an ordinary kiss, she realized. "Roger?" she whispered, sounding eager but reserved. "Mm?" he replied tenderly, paying special attention to April's collarbone. "If you mean it, please say it now."  
  
Roger stopped, looking up at April with a bemused smile on his face. "Oh, April.." he whispered into her hair, and she closed her eyes, tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. "I knew it was too much to ask for," she choked, as Roger's mouth kissed the tears away. She was about to speak again, when he cut her off. "April, I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else. You're so beautiful to me, you've always been so beautiful. You're my muse, my inspiration, and--" April touched Roger's mouth with her delicate hand, forcing him to stop talking as he kissed her fingertips. She glanced at him from under her eyelashes, then smiled her sweet, sad little smile. "Shut up and kiss me again." 


End file.
